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Renovated Upper Grandview home priced at $1,295,000

Christine Gritmon, For The Journal News;
2:48 p.m. EDT May 9, 2014

Renovated Upper Grandview home opens wide to the river, with spectacular views.

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The master bedroom is adorned with de Gournay hand-painted silk walls. The bed is flanked by mirror-paneled doors — one leads to a large closet, the other to the master bath(Photo: Seth Harrison)Buy Photo

Story Highlights

Nine years ago, Michelle Stone and her husband were so charmed by a drive around the Upper Grandview area that they decided to take a look at what local properties were available. Their agent, Debbie Blankfort, showed them a Cape Cod on Route 9W, which they found charming, but it was the nicely sized mountainside parcel and breathtaking views that really sold them. Within a week everything had fallen into place, and Stone was on her way to making the home her own.

"Where the house is situated, you're not on the bridge, so you don't hear the noise of the bridge, but you can see it," Stone explains. "And then you can see the (Piermont) pier, but not the condos on the pier." The naturalized, tiered property — about 1 1/2 acres — had once been part of the Miller parcel, back when the house was built in 1939.

Stone was itching to renovate the humble home into something spectacular that would make maximum use of the stunning Hudson River views. Blankfort pointed Stone in the direction of architectural designer Jerry Vis (www.viscottageindustries.com). "He's really an artist," says Blankfort, who has the current listing, priced at $1,295,000. "He really takes advantage of the views; his window placement is always amazing."

Stone told Vis she wanted it to be "all about the river, all about the view" — which led to a floor plan that embraces wide, horizontal rooms that stretch out alongside the river.

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The living room in the home at 897 Route 9W in Upper Grandview.(Photo: Seth Harrison)

The four-bedroom, four-bath home had previously been owned by two artists who had painted the floors royal blue, the downstairs walls orange, and covered every available inch of wall space with paintings. Stone and Vis created a soothing palette of ivory, white and chocolate, with little on the walls — the better to highlight the views and custom wall treatments. Thick crown moldings are everywhere, as are tall baseboards.

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Dark wood plank floors boast a slight texture. Most rooms in the home are unobtrusively wired for sound, as is the outdoors; all controls (as well as those for the TV and media players) are housed in a hallway media closet. .

Aside from the fantastic view, another running theme in this 3,500-square-foot house is fabulous walls —which begin even in the tiny entryway powder room, adorned in gold wallpaper with black and white illustrated hydrangeas by Fornasetti.

The dining room still bears the vaulted ceiling of the garage it once was, and an antique chandelier adorned with metal leaves dripping with crystals hangs from the center. But the room's piece de resistance is the full-room mural of the Hudson River, rendered in muted tones of gray and ivory. The line of the river mural matches up to the actual river, visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the end of the room.

"I saw a piece in a magazine; I looked it up, and it was $30,000 a panel!" says Stone, who instead hired local artist Haley Coletta to make her "ode to the Hudson River" a reality. Rather than simply copying the source material, Stone and Coletta studied books of Hudson River School paintings, as well as Jacob Getlar Smith's 1936 TRAP/WPA murals for the Nyack Post Office. Exaggerated greenery in the foreground calls to mind the jungles of Rousseau.

Off the dining room is a galley-style kitchen, made elegant with copious molding. Stone insisted that the refrigerator and all upper cabinetry rest along the interior wall, so as not to block the river view; the resulting extra-long counter features two sinks and two dishwashers, sure to make entertaining a breeze. The counter culminates in a marble-topped breakfast nook with banquettes.

Along the non-river side, a 6-burner Thermador range and a built-in French door refrigerator with a pull-out freezer add functionality amid ample storage. Past the kitchen, the living room has maintained the original 1939 fireplace box — now with a low-maintenance gas insert — and has a new white textured surround.

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The view from the breakfast nook has open vistas of the Hudson River(Photo: Seth Harrison)

Upstairs, the bedrooms are another study in fabulous walls. The front bedroom features floral-embroidered fabric wallpaper — yes, actual stitched embroidery! The back bedroom boasts a semi-iridescent woven sea-grass wallpaper in a gorgeous muted blue-green shot through with silver. Not to be outdone, the master bedroom is adorned with de Gournay hand-painted silk walls. The bed is flanked by mirror-paneled doors, reflecting ample light from the huge patio doors to the river. One of the mirrored doors leads to a large closet, the other to the master bath.

The huge master steam shower features a bench, stationary and hand-held shower heads and body sprays on the wall. Past a double sink and a vanity station, mini French doors lead to a second little room that houses the tub (there is also a shoe closet in the eaves off the tub area). But this isn't just any tub — it's a BainUltra pipeless jet tub, featuring self-cleaning air jets and precise controls for how long, hard, and hot the water bubbles. Even more impressive is the Toto Washlet toilet, featuring a heated seat, dryer, bidet wand and deodorizer, all controlled electronically.

Thanks to the terrain, the home's downstairs space is above grade and thus full of light. Another working fireplace stands next to a built-in stereo cabinet with speakers. A large wet bar features ample cabinetry and counter space, a small fridge with ice maker, and a wine rack. A full wall of sliders leads to a slate patio that sits under the main floor's deck; a third deck off the master bedroom is stacked on top of that one, and back down on the lowest floor there is a separate patio on the side of the house. Beyond the laundry room (which is equipped with new HE Bosch front loaders) you'll find a full bathroom and a side bedroom, perfect for guests or perhaps an au pair.

There is another little room outside under the dining room; it is attached to the home, but is only accessible from outside. Stone jokingly refers to this as the man cave — the heated and mostly finished, lofted space features a utility sink and recessed lighting. Perhaps the next owner will want to open wide the barn doors to the Hudson and use the room as a semi-outdoor office or even a relaxing clubhouse.

"I have fallen so in love with this Hudson River," says Stone. "I really thought this was going to be my last house… Jerry (Vis) and I had so much fun working on it!"